After five dishes and three rounds of wine, the atmosphere at the table did not become cheerful, but became more and more awkward. Tang Qing tried hard to ease the atmosphere, and from time to time she hinted at the situation, hoping to reduce the punishment for Zheng Yubai. But although Zheng Jingzhe loved Tang Qing, he would never give in on the punishment for Zheng Yubai. As long as Tang Qing begged for mercy, he would just laugh it off.
Zheng Shuangjiang watched from the side, secretly laughing in his heart, thinking that his daughter had not grown up yet. Who knew that her uncle looked like an honest bumpkin, but was actually very cunning. Fifteen years ago in Jinghai, the "Zheng Yaoming" who made the evil people tremble with fear had a nickname "Shuangjue". One of these two nicknames naturally described his superb martial arts and his invincible internal boxing skills, and the other one was about his pretending to be stupid and foolish. Those who opposed Zheng Jingzhe often did not fall under his fists, but were calculated by him. Although more than ten years have passed, this ginger has become more and more spicy. If Tang Qing wants to play tricks on him, she is far from qualified.
In Zheng Shuangjiang's opinion, Zheng Yubai should be punished for violating the sect rules and family rules. Xingyiquan has a long history. The reason why it became one of the three major internal martial arts is not only because of the boxing itself, but also because the Xingyiquan inheritors from generation to generation are strict with themselves and lenient with others, leaving an excellent reputation in the hearts of the people. This is just like the development of Tai Chi is more because more and more people practice Tai Chi to keep fit, not because learning Tai Chi will make you invincible.
It is precisely because he is my own nephew that I cannot tolerate him. Zheng Shuangjiang thought to herself as she watched Zheng Yubai eat his food silently. It was not that she did not know her brother's methods. It was she who gave Zheng Jingzhe the nickname "Zheng Yaoming". But if she felt sorry for her nephew and did not punish him, how could she be worthy of her ancestors
After thinking it over, Zheng Shuangjiang still felt that she had done nothing wrong, but she was just secretly planning to persuade her brother not to use too harsh a hand. If she really hurt her nephew, she would not be willing to do it.
Zheng Jingzhe drank the remaining wine in the cup in one gulp, and said with a flushed face, "I'm full."
In fact, no one at the table had much appetite. They just watched Zheng Jingzhe eat and drink, and from time to time they said that southern food was not as delicious as the pork stewed with vermicelli in the northern countryside. However, Zheng Yubai did not seem to worry about the upcoming punishment. In addition to eating a lot of dishes, he also ate two full bowls of rice.
"Shuangjiang, is there any spacious and empty place nearby?" Zheng Jingzhe took a toothpick and asked while picking his teeth.
Zheng Shuangjiang nodded: "There is a bridge near my home, and there is a large open space under the bridge. In this weather, no one will go there."
"Very good, right there." Zheng Jingzhe picked his teeth and waved to Zheng Yubai, "Follow me."
Tang Qing stood up and wanted to follow, but was pulled back by Zheng Shuangjiang. Zheng Jingzhe turned around and said with a smile: "Qing'er, you and your parents should go home. Your uncle will be back soon."
"Uncle..." Tang Qing wanted to plead, but when she saw Zheng Yubai making a reassuring gesture to her, she could not say anything.
Zheng Yubai and his father left Green Bamboo Pavilion. Zheng Jingzhe stood at the door and scratched his head in confusion: "Son, where is the place your aunt mentioned?"
"Come with me." The place Zheng Shuangjiang was talking about was the river beach where Zheng Yubai used to secretly go out to practice boxing at night. It was winter now, the river had dried up, and the remaining puddles were frozen. Few people went there to begin with, and it was so cold today that there wasn't even a ghost there.
It was already dark, and the father and son were walking on the streets of Jinghai, where the lights were just coming on. Zheng Jingzhe looked left and right, and said with emotion: "I haven't been to Jinghai for more than ten years, and it has changed a lot."
Zheng Yubai vaguely knew something about his father's past. Not long after he was born, his father came to Jinghai to do business, but he had a bad temper and failed to make the business, but instead got involved in a gang fight. With his martial arts skills, Zheng Jingzhe defeated the gang and became a gang-fighting hero praised by everyone in Jinghai.
When Zheng Yubai was five years old, Zheng Jingzhe often went home to teach him how to practice boxing. Later, he simply returned to the countryside and never came to Jinghai again. In Zheng Yubai's memory, his father had never left the small village since he was eight years old.
"Dad, why didn't you stay in Jinghai?" This is a question that has been buried in Zheng Yubai's heart for more than ten years. Back then, my aunt chose to stay in Jinghai for love, and now she lives a good life. Although she is no longer the female knight who takes pleasure in revenge, and is no different from an ordinary housewife, she has never regretted her original choice.
Zheng Jingzhe stretched his shoulders and chuckled, "Big cities have many rules. I'm not used to them."
He said it easily, but Zheng Yubai didn't quite believe it. However, he also knew that if his father didn't want to talk, no matter how he asked, it would be useless. He chose to remain silent, and the two walked along the way and soon came to the bridge.
The bridge was crowded with cars, and the countless car lights made it hard for people to open their eyes. Zheng Yubai led Zheng Jingzhe down the bridge and came to a vast expanse of white riverbank.
"Well, it's quite quiet here, and the place is spacious enough." Zheng Jingzhe nodded with satisfaction, turned to Zheng Yubai and said, "Do you admit your mistake?"
Zheng Yubai didn't hesitate at all: "I'm not wrong."
Zheng Jingzhe nodded: "You still have the same bad temper as before. I thought you would change after I sent you to college and learned some knowledge, but I didn't expect you to be cut from the same mold as me."
Zheng Yubai laughed without any nervousness: "These are all habits you have developed since childhood."
"Okay, stop praising me. I've beaten you so many times since we were little, but you don't hate me or fear me. You're different from other children." Zheng Jingzhe said with a sigh, "Although you're older now, you're still my son, a disciple of Xingyiquan. You've violated the sect rules and family laws, so I have to punish you on behalf of our ancestors."
"I know, it's the same as before." Zheng Yubai said self-deprecatingly. He had been punished by his father for countless reasons since he was a child. Although it was painful at the time, if it weren't for those corporal punishments, he probably wouldn't have the strong body that is not afraid of beatings today, let alone the superb martial arts. Because of this, corporal punishment may not be right, but in Zheng Yubai's heart, he doesn't hate it very much.
"Why don't you admit your mistake? Have you forgotten the rules?" Zheng Jingzhe slowly unbuttoned his blue cloth shirt, revealing a black close-fitting cotton jacket underneath.
Zheng Jingzhe's rules are very fair: after making a mistake, there are two options: admit it or not. If you admit it, you must accept the punishment. Although this punishment is severe, sometimes your skin will be torn, but it will not hurt your bones. At most, you can walk after recuperating for ten days or half a month. If you don't admit your mistake, you have to fight with him. If you win this fight with Zheng Jingzhe, no matter what mistakes you made, they can be written off. If you lose, there will be no punishment. Because in the process of fighting, Zheng Jingzhe will never hold back.
Since he was a child, Zheng Yubai had fought with his father 23 times, and he lost all of them. The worst defeat was that his father broke 12 bones and had to lie in bed for three months before he could get up. The lightest defeat was that his head was broken and bleeding, and he was sent directly to the county hospital for a blood transfusion.
Although it would be much worse if he didn't admit his mistakes, Zheng Yubai's honest and simple appearance, which seemed like anyone could bully him, was actually a stubborn and stubborn character that he had developed since childhood. Every time he was knocked down, he practiced harder and harder. Although he was never a match for his father, he never gave up. Since the first time he didn't admit his mistakes when he was sixteen, the father and son finally had the opportunity to fight for the twenty-fourth time.
Zheng Yubai also slowly took off the thick coat that was in the way, folded it neatly, and placed it on the snow beside him.
"I have my own reasons and difficulties in this matter. I will tell you after the fight." Zheng Yubai stretched his body to ensure that he would not become stiff due to the cold weather during the fight.
"Why not tell me now?" Zheng Jingzhe stretched his legs and moved his shoulders and wrists.
"I'm afraid you'll show mercy." Zheng Yubai joked. Because in his memory, before this time, his father never held back, but beat him up like the enemy who killed his father, until he thought he had learned enough. This cruel father played more of the role of an imaginary enemy in Zheng Yubai's life, and left Zheng Yubai with more beatings than care, and more torture than education. Every time he thought of this, Zheng Yubai was a little glad that he could survive and was mentally healthy.
"You also know that I will never show mercy." Zheng Jingzhe laughed. At this moment, he looked like a harmless old man from the countryside. But Zheng Yubai knew that once his father started to fight, he would be more ferocious than a tiger.
"That's good. I've made a lot of progress in the past few years, and I really want to see if I've surpassed you." Ever since he knew his father was coming, Zheng Yubai's mood has been very conflicted. On the one hand, he was a little bit scared, but on the other hand, he strongly hoped that today's situation would happen, so that he could fight his father openly and legitimately to verify his progress over the years.
"I, your old man, haven't fallen behind either. If you think you can surpass me just because I'm old, you're making a wrong calculation." Zheng Jingzhe said as he took the starting stance for his jab, "Boy, are we ready to start?"
"It's okay!" Zheng Yubai had no preparation at all, but as he said this, he kicked his feet and lifted up a ball of snow. Just then, a breeze blew from behind him, blowing the snow straight towards Zheng Jingzhe.
Taking advantage of the moment when the snow was rolling and charming, Zheng Yubai leaped out, leaving only a few shallow footprints on the snow. He was as fast as the wind and his fists were as fast as lightning, rushing straight towards Zheng Jingzhe.
Just as Zheng Yubai attacked Zheng Jingzhe, Leng Tie appeared next to a bridge pier a hundred meters away from them. He hid his body in the shadows, raised the telescope in his hand and looked at the fierce battle between the father and son, muttering to himself: "It's actually his son, no wonder..."
"Good job!" Zheng Jingzhe did not slack off in the face of his son's attack. He bent down and shrank into a black spherical shadow. He flashed in the oncoming snow and slid sideways, avoiding Zheng Yubai's direct attack.
Zheng Yubai knew that he would dodge, so when he missed, he threw a horizontal punch and chased Zheng Jingzhe. His footwork was very flexible, and to Zheng Jingzhe's surprise, his footwork slowed down and he was hit in the back by the horizontal punch. His short figure flew into the air and fell five or six meters away. After rolling on the ground to offset the impact, he climbed up ten meters away.
After shaking off the snow on his body, Zheng Jingzhe said, "This move is good, the footwork is very flexible. Where did you learn this?"
"This is the flying eaves technique used by thieves to steal doors." Zheng Yubai told the truth.
Zheng Jingzhe nodded: "Very good, you can learn from others' strengths and overcome my weaknesses, you are worthy of being my son. But you still can't beat me with this footwork. Your weakness is... your fists are too soft." As he spoke, Zheng Jingzhe rushed straight towards Zheng Yubai like a mad bull. His fist was very simple. He stretched out his right arm straight, clenched his fist, exposed his veins, and had an indomitable momentum, as if he was going to destroy the world in one fell swoop.
Zheng Yubai knew that this was his father's special move, "Bull Force Charge", which he had learned from the bear and tiger forms. Because it looked a bit like a mad bull charging at someone, it was called Bull Force Charge. On the surface, this Bull Force Charge was just a reckless charge, but if you were careless because of it, you would suffer a great loss.
Seeing Zheng Jingzhe rushing in front of him, Zheng Yubai felt a strong wind blowing in his face, and a huge force rolled up the snow in front of him. When he came close, Zheng Jingzhe lowered his shoulders and shrank his head, concentrating all his strength and rushing towards Zheng Yubai. If he hit him hard, his bones and muscles would be broken immediately.
Of course Zheng Yubai would not just stand up to it, he had already prepared a countermeasure. Seeing Zheng Jingzhe's shoulder coming towards him, he swiped his feet and his body moved to the side like a ghost, like a piece of catkins floating in the wind.
Zheng Yubai dodged Zheng Jingzhe's powerful attack, but it was not that simple. Although it looked very powerful, the real power of this powerful attack was the follow-up move. Although Zheng Yubai dodged, Zheng Jingzhe raised his foot and kicked out, which was the swallow-shaped kick.
The kick was as fast as an arrow from a bow, and the distance was so close that Zheng Yubai had no time to dodge. As he was about to be hit, Zheng Yubai suddenly bent forward and his lower abdomen shrank back.
"Good dodge..." Zheng Jingzhe's toes were tense, but still half an inch away from Zheng Yubai's lower abdomen. He had already used up all the strength in this kick, and Zheng Yubai took advantage of the momentum of bending over to hit his knee, forcing him to retreat.
As Zheng Jingzhe retreated, Zheng Yubai did not pursue him, but took two steps back, his face pale, with a trace of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. Although he was not kicked, the fierce force had penetrated into his lower abdomen through the air, shaking his internal organs. This time, he was seriously injured.
"You're already pretty good." Zheng Jingzhe smiled, "You've made progress by forcing me to retreat." He praised her but didn't stop, moving closer again.
Zheng Jingzhe's moves were like a storm, often using thunder and lightning to attack continuously, not giving his opponent a chance to breathe. Zheng Yubai was naturally well aware of his father's characteristics, and although his internal organs were damaged, he still managed to use all his strength, aimed at his attacks, and waved his arms to withstand them one by one.
"Take my move!" Zheng Jingzhe was excited, punching out with both fists in succession, the sleeves of his cotton jacket swung, snapping, and the punches hit the air, making a buzzing sound. This was not the boxing of Xingyiquan, but Tongbiquan.
Tongbiquan uses the body to stick to clothes to generate power. When fighting, not only are fists powerful, but even clothes can be used as weapons. Once you are stuck to the clothes thrown up by a Tongbiquan practitioner, you will be in trouble.
Zheng Yubai was beaten badly by Zheng Jingzhe's series of quick punches. He retreated repeatedly, and his steps became more and more heavy.
"Here I come!" During the combo, Zheng Jingzhe suddenly dodged, and his fists swept across Zheng Yubai's defense. He came to within a punch's distance from him, with a mischievous smile on his face.
Zheng Yubai was horrified and was about to step back, but Zheng Jingzhe raised his hips and knocked him off balance, and then shrugged his shoulders, hitting Zheng Yubai's chest, causing him to stagger back. Then Zheng Jingzhe rushed forward, twisted his waist and raised his butt, hitting Zheng Yubai's waist, throwing him sideways, throwing him into the snow, dizzy.
"I haven't seen him for many years, but he's still the same." Leng Tie, who was watching the battle from afar, couldn't help thinking to himself when he saw this exciting and exciting scene. At this moment, the communicator rang, and the subordinate reported: "Director, the personnel are ready and can act at any time. Should we close the net now?"
Leng Tie said without hesitation: "Tell everyone to retreat, and send a few people to guard the area around the bridge. Do not allow anyone to approach."
“Chief, this…” The subordinate was puzzled. They had clearly found the target and assembled a large number of elites who could bring the suspect to justice at any time, but why did the chief change his mind
"Don't ask any more questions, just follow the order immediately." Leng Tie said firmly.
"Yes!" Although they had some doubts, the subordinates immediately dismissed the personnel and blocked the nearby entrances and exits according to Leng Tie's orders.
The Zheng family father and son were unaware of what was happening nearby. Although Zheng Yubai was thrown out by his father's three consecutive hits of shoulder, hip and buttocks, he had not lost his fighting ability. He jumped up with a hawk flip, took a deep breath, and got ready for the collapsing fist. The collapsing fist was Zheng Yubai's most powerful punch. He knew that if he wanted to win, he had to use real thunderous means.
"Bengquan? Let me see if I can conquer the world with half a step of Bengquan!" Zheng Jingzhe approached quickly, holding his hands in front of his chest, shaking left and right, like a black bear. This is exactly the bear form in Xingyiquan.
Seeing Zheng Jingzhe rushing forward, Zheng Yubai suddenly changed his tactics, dodging to the side of Zheng Jingzhe, and spreading his arms, but it was a move of "Wild Horse Splitting Mane". This is a move in Xingyiquan that uses arms to grab people. As soon as he touched Zheng Jingzhe's body, he clamped him. Unexpectedly, Zheng Jingzhe reacted quickly. When he exhaled, his body became fatter out of thin air, and a huge force surged out, shaking Zheng Yubai's arms loose.
Although his arms were loose, Zheng Yubai leaned his body and stuck close to Zheng Jingzhe. This was another grappling technique from Xingyi, called "Lazy Donkey Lying", which was a superb skill of grabbing the opponent with the whole body.
He stuck close to Zheng Jingzhe, and his hands were like a thread, entwining Zheng Jingzhe's hands. Zheng Yubai was delighted and was about to remove his wrists, but Zheng Jingzhe shook his head and the back of his head hit Zheng Yubai's chest with a bang.
Zheng Yubai's chest shook violently, as if he was hit by a huge rock. His arms loosened and the stickiness in his body disappeared. He took three steps back before he could barely stand.
"Don't forget, we Xingyi people are covered with weapons." Zheng Jingzhe said proudly, "You have practiced grappling well, but it is better to fight than to grab. It is useless to practice well."
Zheng Yubai steadied himself, scratched his head and said, "It seems I still can't beat you."
"That's already pretty good. You couldn't even take ten of my moves before." Zheng Jingzhe said with a smile, "In another ten years, you might have a chance."
"I can't wait for ten years." Before he finished speaking, Zheng Yubai, who was at a disadvantage and still gasping for breath, rushed up instead.
Real fighting is very physically demanding. If it is a fight for life, the winner can often be decided in one or two minutes. Only matches with a strong competitive and performance nature will last more than ten or twenty minutes. In the eyes of real fighters, boxing matches that are divided into rounds with rest periods in between are completely commercial and stupid fights that have no meaning at all.
Zheng Yubai was at his strongest age, and after a few moves, he felt a little out of breath, not to mention Zheng Jingzhe. Although he was injured, Zheng Yubai also believed that his father's physical strength would soon be exhausted, so he must not delay time and must continue to attack until the moment when his father's physical strength is exhausted comes.
The chopping fist was like swinging an axe, and Zheng Yubai seemed to hold two big axes in his hands, like Li Kui, the Black Whirlwind of Liangshanpo, and he split Huashan with both axes and chopped towards Zheng Jingzhe.
Although Zheng Jingzhe was not as agile as Zheng Yubai, he was no less capable. He used his monkey form and moved like a ghost, dodging and fighting back. Although Zheng Yubai's punches were fierce, they could not even touch the corner of Zheng Jingzhe's clothes.
He threw more than 20 punches in a row, creating a pile of snow pits on the ground, but he couldn't hit anyone. Zheng Jingzhe was still calm and energetic, but Zheng Yubai was out of breath and his strength was a little bit off. At this moment, he realized that no matter how many masters he had defeated before, compared to his father, he was still just a kid who had just started.
"Boy, whether you're convinced or not, it's still not too late for you to admit your mistake now." Zheng Jingzhe said with a smile, without stopping his feet. He passed in front of him like a gust of wind, and a feint punch made Zheng Yubai exhausted to defend himself.
"I won't admit my mistake." Zheng Yubai suddenly stopped attacking, stood quietly on the snow, and adjusted his breathing.
Zheng Jingzhe also stopped and asked, "Why, you don't want to fight anymore?"
Zheng Yubai remained silent, even closing his eyes. The world around him was slowly changing, and the meridian map in his body appeared in his mind again. The meridians that were originally filled with white internal energy were now mostly empty, as they were consumed in the fierce fight just now.
"If you don't attack, I'll come." Zheng Jingzhe had no idea what his son was up to. He took a step forward and punched him.
Zheng Yubai opened his eyes suddenly, and the world in front of him became extremely slow. The punch that was originally as fast as a meteor was like a slow motion in a movie, coming towards his face little by little.
With his mind racing, Zheng Yubai suddenly leaned to the right to avoid the punch, then raised his hips and moved forward, pushing his left knee forward and once again sticking to Zheng Jingzhe in the Lazy Donkey Position.
"I'll capture him!" Zheng Yubai wrapped his hands around Zheng Jingzhe's elbows, and with his right arm, he blocked the movement of Zheng Jingzhe's shoulders, preventing him from exerting force.
“Stop moving…” Seeing that Zheng Jingzhe was still trying to move, Zheng Yubai exerted a little force and clasped his hand on Zheng Jingzhe's elbow joint. If he really exerted force, he could instantly cripple Zheng Jingzhe's arm.
Zheng Jingzhe stopped moving, with an expression of disbelief on his face: "When did you become so fast?"
Of course, Zheng Yubai couldn’t say that it was supernatural help, he just let go of his father’s arm, took a step back, and saluted respectfully.
Zheng Jingzhe stared at him blankly, and was silent for a long time before he suddenly said, "You win..." (To be continued)